Colleen McCullough told Geoff Hutchison that while her body might be creaking and groaning - as long as her brain continues to function, she's more than happy with life. Her laughter punctuates this interview which is based around her new book "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet."

Mary Bennet is one of the minor characters in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Colleen McCullough has projected this her into a future in which she turns her zeal to the plight of England's poor.